Southern Kings crash to third consecutive PRO14 defeat

The Isuzu Southern Kings crashed to a third consecutive Guinness PRO14 defeat when they went down 42-17 against Ulster at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

After losing against Cardiff Blues and Munster in their opening games, the pressure had been on the Kings to deliver a win on home turf.

However, they were condemned to another defeat by a rampant Ulster side who led 35-10 at the break.

There was trouble for the Kings from as early as defeat the first minute when Ulster scrumhalf John Cooney went over for a try to put the home team on the back foot.

Further tries from Luke Marshall and Rob Herring propelled Ulster into a healthy 21-3 lead after only 16 minutes as the Kings battled to keep the Irish side at bay.

Taking full advantage of the Kings’ frail defence, Ulster enjoyed a 33-3 lead after 32 minutes as they continued to punch holes in the home team’s frail defence.

The Kings showed more enterprise in the second half, but any hopes of a home win had already been snuffed out by halftime.

Scorers:

Southern Kings 17:

Tries: Tertius Kruger, Aston Fortuin. Conversions: Demetri Catrakilis, JT Jackson. Penalty: Demetri Catrakilis

Ulster 42:

Tries: John Cooney (2), Luke Marshall, Rob Herring, Matt Faddes, Sean Reidy. Conversions: John Cooney (6).